Explanations of Attachment: Bowlby's Theory Flashcards
What does adaptive mean?
Something that is necessary for survival.
Why does Bowlby (evolutionary theory of attachment) argue that infants become attached to a caregiver?
He argued that attachment is adaptive as it is essential for initial survival and is a basis for later social relationships.
What are social releasers?
Certain behaviours which help to ensure proximity and contact with the caregiver. It helps to elicit caregiving.
What is monotropy?
The innate need for a child to need to attach to one main attachment figure. This is of central importance to a child’s development.
What is the internal working model?
An infants/ child’s mental representation of how relationships work. It is similar to a schema.
What is the critical period?
The period in which attachment must take place or it never will. Up to 2 years old.
What is meant by the adaptive value of attachment? (Bowlby)
Bowlby says attachment is key to survival and without, initial survival won’t take place. It also means that early attachments act as a basis for later social relationships.
What is Bowlby’s continuity hypothesis?
The idea that attachment as a child stays the same for your attachment as an adult. If you are a securely attached baby, you will be a securely attached adult.
What is the temperament hypothesis?
This opposes Bowlby’s continuity hypothesis. It argues that the happiness of a child (happy child - happy adult) is due to temperament rather than continuity.
Name a piece of evidence that extended Bowlby’s idea that later love relationships are predictable from an individuals early attachment type.
Hazen and Shaver
What did Hazen and Shaver use to test Bowlby’s hypothesis?
The love quiz. It consisted of nearly 100 questions and they received 620 replies.
What conclusions were drawn from Hazen and Shaver’s love quiz?
56% classified themselves as secure, 25% as avoidant and 19% as resistant. Love experience and attitudes towards love (internal working model) were related to attachment type.
What is wrong with the love quiz?
The sample is bias due to a self selecting volunteer sample. It is also retrospective as it is based off people remembering thing correctly from their childhoods. It also only shows correlation which is not causation.
What is the temperament hypothesis?
Infants with ‘easy’ temperament become securely attached and find it easy to form loving relationships as adults.
Name two pieces of research support for Bowlby?
Brazleton et al and Bailey et al.
